There is a lot of narcissism among leaders-even Christian ones-and the truth is that we are driven by our grandiosity more than we think. This is not without cause. Christopher Lasch, in his book The Culture of Narcissism, makes the sobering observation that narcissism as a personality structure goes hand in hand with bureaucracy, the type of social institution that predominates today. The narcissist has many traits that make for success in bureaucratic institutions, which put a premium on the manipulation of interpersonal relations, discourage the formation of deep personal attachments, and at the same time provide the narcissist with the approval he needs in order to validate his self-esteem.

Ouch, Ruth Haley pulls no punches with that quote for us in church leadership! Nicole found this quote in this book she’s read for her class. This quote captures well the problem that many institutional churches are having today with not being open to changing to a more relational and communal approach (priesthood of all believers).